In January 1992, then Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas joined with key advisers and hundreds of constituents to form the Eighth District Empowerment Congress. The Empowerment Congress was an experiment in participatory government, founded on the principle that elected officials are most effective when the constituents they serve are actively involved in the decision-making process.

Under the leadership of Mark Ridley-Thomas, the Empowerment Congress worked to educate, engage and empower constituents and was ultimately responsible for bringing more than $500 million in economic development and 2,800 new jobs to the Eighth District.  A constituent based, non-profit entity, the Empowerment Congress is a dynamic partnership between neighborhood groups, residents, businesses and religious institutions.

The Empowerment Congress is comprised of both elected and appointed members organized to engage their peers in efforts to improve public safety, develop community standards, promote local economic development, and have a direct impact on the policies and decision that affect the lives of all residents. The Empowerment Congress is largely viewed as the precursor to the City of Los Angeles’ Neighborhood Councils.

In 2002, the Empowerment Congress began organizing our communities around the California state legislature, the budget and the state resources, continuing the mission of the Empowerment Congress with the leadership of honorably Mark Ridley-Thomas representing the 48th Assembly District and then the 26th Senate District in 2007.

After nearly two decades since inception, the Empowerment Congress has now expanded its programs and mission of civic engagement and community empowerment to the Los Angeles County Second District, which includes nine cities (Los Angeles, Carson, Compton, Culver City, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, and Lynwood) and many neighborhoods of unincorporated areas: Athens, Baldwin Hills, Del Aire, East Compton, El Camino Village, Firestone, Florence, Graham, Ladera Heights, Lennox, Marina del Rey, Rancho Dominguez, View Park, West Carson, West Compton, West Rancho Dominguez, Westmont, Willowbrook, Windsor Hills, Wiseburn.